


Magnolia Memories

by FinAmour



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: College/University, F/F, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Fluff, Girls Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Memories, On a blanket in a field of flowers, Protective Carol, love love love, they’re so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-02-10 02:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinAmour/pseuds/FinAmour
Summary: Carol is visiting a sleepy village in Southern Romania when she remembers the first time she kissed Maria Rambeau.





	Magnolia Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chemma66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemma66/gifts).



> “And somehow, against all reason, we were kissing // I closed my eyes, and the world around me faded.” —Richelle Mead

Carol is visiting a sleepy village in Southern Romania when she remembers the first time she kissed Maria Rambeau.

More often than not, Carol finds, the return of any memory is unexpected. Sometimes, it comes in a whisper, barely worth acknowledging. But today is different. Today, on this damp, cold April afternoon—as rain drizzles down from steely-blue skies—not only does Carol remember the first time she and Maria kissed; she remembers, for the first time, that kissing is something they _do._

Today, the fragrance of the magnolia trees drifts in from the orchard, and Carol inhales; closing her eyes and planting her feet firmly into the grass to keep the memories from sweeping her away in their deluge.

***

It’s the Spring of 1983, and Carol is sprawled atop an oversized wool blanket in a field of emerald grass, lying next to her Maria. They’re both sipping on lemonade, and eating strawberries and peaches, and doing everything they can to avoid thinking about the lengthy biology exam they’d completed an hour before.

Between bites of fruit and affectionate glances, the two best friends chat about their current college courses, though none of it is really news. They’ve been friends since the sixth grade, after all, and they currently share a dorm room, so they already know every last thing there is to know about each other.  

Sometimes, though, Carol simply likes listening to the sound of Maria’s voice. Maria calms her, and she makes her laugh, and she makes her feel like she’s home. 

However, as the two of them face one another, comfortably lain out beneath the bright blue skies, there seems to be a darkness in Maria’s eyes that says she’s got something to hide.

Carol doesn’t press the issue. Maria will tell her when she’s ready. So instead, she bites down into one of the juicy strawberries they’d brought in from the market.

Maria grins as she watches Carol’s attempt at not making a mess of it all.

Carol grins back; then, she holds out the rest of the strawberry to her friend. Maria leans forward to take a bite, wrapping her lips around the half-eaten strawberry in Carol’s hand, and she slowly sinks her teeth in. Red juice squirts all over her, and all over the blanket, and all over Carol’s fingers. The two of them groan before dissolving into a fit of laughter.  

Carol wipes her hand on the blanket, tosses out the rest of the fruit, and then turns to gaze down into Maria’s almond-colored eyes. “It’s wonderful to hear your laugh,” she says, her tone perhaps a tad more worrisome than she’d intended. “I’ve kinda missed it.”

“Yeah?” Maria swallows her bite of strawberry. “Has it really been gone for that long?”

The warm wind rustles the trees, and Carol finds herself fighting the urge to brush away the strand of hair that drifts over Maria’s forehead. “Not _that_ long,” she replies. “I mean, maybe, like, a day. But that feels like a long time for you, you know?”

“Yeah.” The smile falls from Maria’s face, and her dark eyes fall to the spot on the blanket between them. “Lately, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“Oh, no.” Carol knows her Maria well enough by now to know that the only time she ever says _this_  is when she’s in a crisis, and very nearly drowning. She reaches out a hand, taking her friend’s into hers. “What’s wrong, babe?”

Carol’s worry only blossoms when she notices moisture in Maria’s eyes, and the conscious effort on Maria’s part to fight back tears.

It’s a fight that doesn’t last long.

A teardrop forms and cascades down Maria’s cheek. She swallows thickly, using the back of her hand to wipe it away.

”I’m pregnant,” she says.

She’d uttered only two words, but with those two words, the tears begin to stream down her face, utterly uncontainable.

Only two words, and yet those two words send Carol’s body surging forward to take Maria into her arms; to let Maria sob on her shoulder until time begins to slip away from them both.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Maria says wetly into Carol’s neck.

Carol leans back and looks her in the eye, and then she reaches over to wipe her friend’s tear-stained face.

“Oh, sweetheart,” is all that Carol says. But she experiences such a surge of love for her that she feels her chest and throat begin to tighten, and before she knows what’s happening, she herself begins to cry.

“It’s going to be okay,” she manages to utter. “We’ve got time to figure it all out.”

Maria sighs heavily on a sob.“What is there to figure out? I mean, I’m gonna have to drop out of school and forget about becoming a pilot.” She peers into Carol’s eyes, her expression full of apprehension. “And what do you mean _we,_ yousilly human? This problem is _far_ from yours.” She smiles tearfully and weaves her fingers through Carol’s. “Who am I, anyway? What kind of person would I be to even _think_ of putting any of this off onto you?”

Carol frowns. “Who are you?”

And suddenly, the deep love that flows through her for this woman erupts, triggering something primal and visceral: the need to nurture and protect her Maria, and to protect the tiny human growing inside her, and to ensure that both of them have all of the love in the world. To ensure that they are happy and safe, and that they accomplish everything they could ever dream of.

“Listen to me,” Carol says fiercely, squeezing both of Maria’s hands in hers, and she’s got her attention, now. “You are _Maria_ _Rambeau_. The girl who has always taught me to fight for what is right, even if it’s not what is easy. And you’re my best friend, who has supported me for half of my life, through every good decision and every bad decision I’ve ever made. You’re brave, and you’re creative, and a huge pain in the ass, but you’re _not_  going to give up, because that’s not a option. You’re going to have _everything you’ve ever wanted,_  all while being the best damn mother on the planet, if that’s what you choose, because you are the most powerful person I know.”

Maria freezes. “Thank you,” she murmurs. She’s stopped crying, and she’s looking up at Carol as though she’d just hung the moon.

Carol’s expression softens, as does her grip on her hands, and she lets go to brush the tears from her cheek. “I’ll always be here for you—for the _both_ of you—and nothing in the entire universe will ever stop that from being true.”

The tiniest hint of wistfulness befalls Maria’s expression, but she smiles nonetheless.

All goes quiet. The wind rustles the trees again, sending clouds of white magnolia petals stirring through the air.

Two large petals drift onto the blanket between the two women. Carol picks up the first one, and then she reaches over to tuck the single petal behind Maria’s ear.  

Maria closes her eyes and leans into Carol’s touch; the smile on her face is more serene than Carol has ever seen it. After a moment like that, she reopens her eyes, picks up the second petal, and places it delicately in the hair on the crown of Carol’s head. 

The tenderness of the gesture sends Carol’s heart soaring. She closes her own eyes, leaning forward to press her forehead softly against Maria’s.

And she breathes. 

Their lips seem to slot together as though it were inevitable; and so, atop an oversized wool blanket, in a field of emerald grass, Carol Danvers kisses Maria Rambeau.

It’s the first time they’ve done something like this, but it feels as natural as the setting sun.

As they drink one another in, Carol knows just how simple and how complicated every bit of it is. It’s a kiss; an offering of comfort and strength. It’s a kiss; a single crystalline moment in time that has never come before, and will never come after. It’s a kiss; and it may be their last, or it may be the first of many more, but right now, none of that truly matters.

Right now, in this single crystalline moment, all that matters is the scent of the magnolias surrounding them, and the gift of a heartfelt promise, and the unbridled warmth and light kindled between her and her Maria.

***

Today, in the tiny Romanian village, Carol finishes replaying the memory in her head. She wipes the tears from her face, inhales deeply, and crouches down to pick out the two most beautiful magnolia petals she can find.

She takes them to the home of her Maria, who sleeps peacefully in her bed, curled up next to her Monica.

Without waking either of them, Carol smooths out their hair, tucking the two most beautiful magnolia petals she could find behind their ears. 

“We’ve still got time to figure it all out,” she whispers, leaning in to place a tender kiss on each of their foreheads. She gazes down at them, indulging herself a few seconds to watch them in their slumber before slipping out into the cold, starry night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is the first time I’ve ever written anything outside of the Sherlock fandom, so I hope you enjoyed it! Your comments and kudos are very much appreciated :)
> 
> I’m @fin__amour on Twitter...come say hi!


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